Worried!!! (tortoise not eating much)

mhcl2241

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I have a 4 year old sulcata tortoise. She is about 10-11 inches. I have noticed that she is no longer eating very well.
See, this last summer she escaped out of my back yard. I didn't have her for three months. I finally found out my neighbor a few houses down had her. I got her back and she had actually outgrown her enclosure so I had to do something short term until my husband can build something new which is basically a bunch of baby gates together and a hide with her food dish and water dish. Tonight I took her out for a soak and when I turned her over to wash her underside I noticed it was pink. I have never noticed his before and now I am scared. What is this?? ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1419823284.045240.jpg
 

mhcl2241

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Also, the new hide I have for her is a solid plastic Rubbermaid container. Could she be having a reaction to the plastic??
 

Yvonne G

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Also her feet look a bit sore and red. Do you have her on cement?
 

mhcl2241

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One more thing. Her shell is not soft at all. I feed her Mazuri desert tortoise pellets and she also gets a little bit of calcium in her water. I noticed her feet are also looking pink and sore. Im going to find something more suitable for her tonight. Im thinking this may be a reaction to the lack of substrate in her pen.
 

mhcl2241

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Yes. She is. :( she has some Timothy hay but she digs in it to burrow. The Rubbermaid is where is burrows mainly and that is a sideways container so she isn't actually sleeping or burrowin into the cement but into the plastic container. Outside the plastic container is all cement .
 

russian/sulcata/tortoise

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Yes. She is. :( she has some Timothy hay but she digs in it to burrow. The Rubbermaid is where is burrows mainly and that is a sideways container so she isn't actually sleeping or burrowin into the cement but into the plastic container. Outside the plastic container is all cement .
can you post some pics of here enclosure?
 

mhcl2241

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Ha well I can but right now it will look pretty pathetic because I just took her out and cleaned all the hay out so now it just looks like a ... Well, dog crate. Im going to move her into a whole Rubbermaid container that I am actually purchasing right now. I'll post pics as soon as I get home. Is she going to be okay?
 

mhcl2241

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ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1419826704.624873.jpg
This is what I have her in now. Im terribly allergic to Hay and that is why I have tried not to use it too much but now I am so desperate for her to start eating again. I'll need to situate her light and heat lamp. I just hate the cramped area for her. I live in colorado so she can only be outside for 3 months out of the year (if that, depending on Mother Nature)
 

russian/sulcata/tortoise

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View attachment 111958
This is what I have her in now. Im terribly allergic to Hay and that is why I have tried not to use it too much but now I am so desperate for her to start eating again. I'll need to situate her light and heat lamp. I just hate the cramped area for her. I live in colorado so she can only be outside for 3 months out of the year (if that, depending on Mother Nature)
yea her enclosure should be 10 times that size. hay is not a good substrate because it can hold humidity cypress much, orchard bark would be way better. are you giving her any type of heat? straw berries or any other fruit should NOT be fed to a sulcata.
 

mhcl2241

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Yes she has a coil heat bulb. (No light) and then a UV light. I understand her enclosure should be much bigger. This is just a temporary enclosure till we build her new one. I need to find a suitable floor for her enclosure that won't rot or mold itself and that she cannot burrow through. That is why I though she would be okay on the concrete. Clearly wrong. This won't be long term. Maybe just till next week when my husband has the week off and we can build something new. What do you guys use for enclosure flooring?
I don't feed her berries normally, I was just trying to see if it would stimulate her appetite at all. It didn't. :(
 

mhcl2241

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I had the understanding that at her size she does not require humidity.
 

leigti

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How much space do you have indoors right now for an enclosure? you can get a large stock tank at the feed store, one with a lot of floor space, I'm thinking one of the big Black round ones. they take up a lot of room but it could get you through the winter. And then next year you can work on building an outdoor enclosure with a heated hide box. I am from Colorado so I know what kind of whether you're talking about, which part of Colorado do you live in? she could actually spend more time outside then you may be thinking depending on where you live. but for now just work on the indoor enclosure. Get some orchid bark, organic soil or something like that for her enclosure. She needs to stay off cement. The Rubbermaid bin she is in will be okay for a few days until you can find something much bigger.. I'm glad you found your tortoise. Welcome to the forum.
 

mhcl2241

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Still no one has answered the question about the pink on her plastron. I don't want to get too far off topic. Her enclosure is something I am working on, but right now I want to know about her shell. What causes this? Is this treatable?
 

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The pink between plastron scutes is usually new growth or bacterial infection.

The lack of appetite is probably due to low temps. Strawberries and other fruit are not good and should not be offered. Begging the tortoise to eat with inappropriate foods can cause more problems than whatever you already have. The most likely cause of not eating is temps that are too cold. Stress from being in a tiny tub could also be a factor. Where was the concrete that damaged the feet? Was it not too cold on the concrete?

Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. So if your tortoise is growing, it will need that humidity and hydration. Size and age don't matter all that much. Its growth that matters.

Here are some threads for your review. I think there is info in these that you might be missing:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/
 

mhcl2241

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The tub is brand new. She hasn't even been in that tub for two hours yet. But she is off of the concrete. I will review those tubs. My house is very large (5300 sqft) and I have two separate furnaces. I think I will need to adjust the programming to the furnace that heats the downstairs to make sure it is kept warm even at night when we are not down there. It could very possibly be that she is too cold now that we are getting into the winter and temps are falling into single digits outside.
 

Tom

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The tub is brand new. She hasn't even been in that tub for two hours yet. But she is off of the concrete. I will review those tubs. My house is very large (5300 sqft) and I have two separate furnaces. I think I will need to adjust the programming to the furnace that heats the downstairs to make sure it is kept warm even at night when we are not down there. It could very possibly be that she is too cold now that we are getting into the winter and temps are falling into single digits outside.

They need it 80 degrees at night, and even warmer during the day. Are you going to heat your house that much? And if you do, is the temperature down on the floor going to be as warm as it is up on the wall where the thermostat sits?

Your tortoise needs a properly designed and heated enclosure, and she needs it right now. Not tomorrow or in a few days. If you don't get this tortoise off the floor and warmed up, you are at serious risk of causing a respiratory infection and possibly even losing her. She is a really nice looking tortoise, so that would be a real shame. The info you need is in the threads I linked for you. Did the links work? I just learned today that the links sometimes don't show up for people using the tortoise forum phone app. I always use a laptop of tablet, so I didn't know this. I'll get the info to you some other way if you are not getting the links.
 

mhcl2241

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I did get the links and I have read through them. She is eating a good diet. Summer is always better because she gets fresh grass all the time. I am just really struggling with how to get her a good enclosure for her size. The link you provided for a close chamber I just cannot imagine how that would work for her size now. Two years ago that would have even easy, but now she is too big for a glass tank. I'll need to do research for this. I need something that I can keep clean and the bottom won't rot with moisture. She currently has heat. Im wasn't meaning to imply that im only relying on my house heat to warm her. She has ha heating lamp. What are your suggestions on heating pads? Im so scared that putting a lamp near wood or grass or plastic is going to burn my house down.
 

Tom

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I did get the links and I have read through them. She is eating a good diet. Summer is always better because she gets fresh grass all the time. I am just really struggling with how to get her a good enclosure for her size. The link you provided for a close chamber I just cannot imagine how that would work for her size now. Two years ago that would have even easy, but now she is too big for a glass tank. I'll need to do research for this. I need something that I can keep clean and the bottom won't rot with moisture. She currently has heat. Im wasn't meaning to imply that im only relying on my house heat to warm her. She has ha heating lamp. What are your suggestions on heating pads? Im so scared that putting a lamp near wood or grass or plastic is going to burn my house down.

Those closed chambers are made of plywood and 2x4s and they are 4x8 feet. This will last your girl a little while longer until you get her adult accommodations sorted out. You can line the bottom with heavy plastic drip cloth sheeting to keep the moisture off the wood.

I don't recommend heating pads in general, but Kane or Stanfield "pig blankets" can work for some situations. I use them in my outdoor night boxes, but I control them with a thermostat.

Lets get back to your original issue which was lack of appetite. What are your four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area and overnight low?

Heat lamps are good for daytime, but they need it dark at night. Dark, but still warm. What are you using for night heat. What type of UV bulb have you got? Is it the coil type cfl?
 
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